By MOHAMED AHMED

In Summary

Dr Manduku said the debarment that the Chinese company was facing was in regard to World Bank projects related to roads and bridges.

The KPA floated the tender on March 23, 2016 and 31 bidders from at least 15 countries showed interest, and by that time CCCC was still under debarment.

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The controversy surrounding the Sh40 billion Kipevu Oil Terminal project continued to deepen Tuesday after Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) acknowledged awarding the tender to a company they knew had been blacklisted.

When he appeared before the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for questioning over the awarding of the tender, Managing Director Daniel Manduku said it was known that the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) had been outlawed by the World Bank.

“We however sought clarification, and the company had already declared the debarment issue, which was in line with tender conditions. Yes, we were aware of all those issues,” said Dr Manduku.

COLLUSION

Asked why it was not given to another company, Dr Manduku said the debarment that the Chinese company was facing was in regard to World Bank projects related to roads and bridges.

“The procurement authority also cleared the tender, and by the time it was being awarded the company had already given us the required information,” he added.